In a previous webinar, we shared the "10 deadly sins," or costly mistakes, seen most often at charity auctions. Number 3 on our list: Putting out the wrong items for your audience. To get high returns on your fundraising event, you want auction items that have wide appeal, generate excitement, and are perceived as highly valuable among your donors.

At fundraising events, it's smart to focus your efforts on the live auction. They haul in the majority of your funds and are the evening's entertainment highlight to boot. That said, employing a variety of revenue enhancers - mini fundraising opportunities and games - keep your agenda exciting, entertain guests and add tens of thousands of dollars to your bottom line.

Charity auctions are amazing opportunities to engage with donors while raising money for your cause. As you know, the key to successful fundraising lies in positive donor experiences. While there’s a lot to plan when hosting a charity auction event, you’ll need to make sure donor engagement is a top priority. Charity auctions can either send your organization sailing past your fundraising goal...or leave you stuck with your oars lost at sea and goal nowhere in sight - and donor engagement plays a big role in determining which path you take. To help, we’ve gathered 7 tips to creating the ultimate donor experience at your next charity auction: Set your fundraising goal and budget. Find great charity auction software. Recruit your volunteers. Procure your auction items. Set a time, date, and venue. Choose an auctioneer. Promote your event. If you’re ready to host a stellar charity auction with the best donor experience, let's get started!

A big part of successful charity auctions is strategically leveraging the auction items themselves. We recently hosted a free webinar all about best practices to procure auction items, maximize bidding during the auction, then raise even more money after the event.

The numbers don't lie: 93% of event attendees say their number one priority when attending a fundraiser is to have fun - even more than supporting the cause. How can you make giving fun? By focusing on the 3 E's: Engage, Entertain and Extract.

"We are going to incorporate a live auction into our event this year. Is the auctioneer typically your emcee (Master of Ceremonies), or is it two roles?" "We have a local radio personality emcee our program. She also handles our live auction and paddle raise. I’m wondering what could happen if we pair her with a professional? "

"When Winspire contacted me, I wasn't interested at first. I used to think consignment took the money out of the room. I'm proud to say I've been proven wrong," shared Keith Jones, benefit auctioneer and CEO of Sayre & Jones Auctioneers, in a recent webinar. "A big part of that is the ability to sell multiples."

While putting on fundraising events can (and should) be a lot of work — after all, you get what you put in — they are incredibly rewarding when successfully run. Best of all, the number of potential fundraising event ideas are as endless as there are potential donors. If you're looking to try something new with your fundraisers, a great place to start is developing a list of donor personas. Who is your ideal donor? Where do they work and live? How do they like to spend their free time? What are their other interests and hobbies? Answering these questions will help you create a list of event ideas that target their interests and are thus more likely to be successful.

With Hurricanes Harvey and Irma battering the Gulf over the past couple weeks, you might be wondering what to do in the event your event crosses paths with Mother Nature. A sudden heat wave, downpours, storms and even accidents on the highway can derail your plans in a moment's notice...sending months of hard work down the drain. In today's post, learn 5 strategies nonprofits can adopt to protect themselves from significant losses in inclement weather.